1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to a process of preparing food products from grains and, more specifically, to a process for preparing high moisture content snack foods from corn grits. The food products are extruded or molded into desired shapes which are readily microwaved or heated in conventional ovens or fryers after they have been processed and frozen for distribution. In the preferred embodiment, the corn grit snack food products are flavored utilizing conventional agents such as butter, cheddar cheese, ham and cajun spice.
2. History of the Related Art
The public acceptance of corn base snack food products is well-known with the most recognizable form of snack food being corn chips which are conventionally processed by blending white and yellow corn of the dent type with water and a percentage of lime which is heated and thereafter soaked for periods of hours. After soaking, the hulls are removed from the kernels and the kernels further ground and processed to form a dough which may be cut or shaped to the configuration of a desired end product, such as a chip, after which the product is fried in oil.
To date, numerous processes have been developed for changing the texture, taste, shape, and nutrient value of corn snack food products in an effort to increase consumer demand. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,376 to Nelson et al. discloses a snack food product which is molded into a three dimensional configuration and which is formed of a base corn dough which is extruded into a flat sheet, cut and then cooked in hot fat for a period of several minutes. In order to impart to the snack product a nutty flavor, sesame seeds are added to the corn dough before the dough is shaped and cooked.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,563 to Straughn et al. another type of snack food product prepared from corn grits is disclosed in which finely ground particles of potato are added in amounts from 30% to 100% of the mix after which the materials are blended using a conventional rivet mixer. Liquid is added to raise the moisture level to between approximately 17% to 19% of the total mixture. The product is then allowed to temper for a period of up to two hours and then passed through a collet extruder. As the mixture is extruded at elevated temperatures it is puffed. The puffed product expands approximately 4 to 51/2 times its original volume. The product is thereafter cut into appropriately sized pieces and toasted in an oven for several minutes.
U.S. Pat. 4,073,958 to Abe discloses a snack food product formulated utilizing a corn starch or waxy corn grit base to which is homogeneously mixed finely divided rice bran in order that the end product will have a flavor imparted to it from the rice bran.
Other examples of methods of manufacturing snack products from corn dough include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,278,311 to Brown et al., 4,126,706 to Hilton, 4,623,550 to Willard, 4,778,690 to Sadel, Jr. et al., 4,844,937 to Wilkinson et al, and 5,100,686 to Hunt et al.